The use of fuel cell technology for portable power systems potentially offers a lower weight burden compared to other portable power sources. However, high power density, low temperature Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) require a H2 fuel source. One promising H2 fuel source is alane (AlH3). This chemical hydride offers high H2 gravimetric density, as well as a H2 feed stream with only trace amounts of contaminants.
The process of H2 production from alane (AlH3) is:
      AlH    3    ⁢      →    Δ    ⁢      Al    +                  3        2            ⁢              H        2            
The only products from the above reaction are H2 and aluminum. However, conventional PEMFECs using this method of H2 production from alane have a number of drawbacks. For example, after prolonged heating of alane at low temperatures, increasing the temperature does not produce additional H2 gas. Furthermore, conventional PEMFCs, which heat the alane at higher temperatures, consume more energy heating the alane (or hydrogen fuel source), making less energy available for the user. In addition, due to the larger thermal mass of conventional PEMFCs, a significant amount of H2 gas is released during shut down as the cartridge cools down, requiring the ability to utilize and store the energy contained in the H2 gas. Lastly, the process of replacing used fuel cell cartridges during operation of the PEMFC (called “hot swapping”) requires users to handle a hot fuel cell cartridge, which is a safety hazard.